WEST CITY, IL (William McPherson, Benton/West Frakfort Gazette) Please click to read the full story. Here is an excerpt) During the May meeting of the West City Village Board, which was the first such meeting since the April 4 elections, board members and Village President Ron House were sworn in for another term in office. The new board consists of House, Linda Sullivan, Gordon Rice, Darren Romani, Bill Baker, Dale Watkins, and Bruce Watkins. The council voted for the city attorney to craft an ordinance to allow the Village of West City to move forward with random drug testing of city employees with a number of randomly selected individuals and number of test times per year to be determined.Trump fires FBI Director James Comey
State Represenative Dave Severin’s weekly newsletter
Dear Neighbor,
I hope you stayed safe during the heavy rains we experienced this past week. Thankfully there have been no serious injuries or fatalities to report. Thank you to all the Fire Departments, Emergency Management Agencies, county, and municipal leaders. If not for their proactive efforts, the effects of the weather could have been much more damaging. If you need assistance we have provided contact information below.
Williamson County Emergency Management Agency
618-998-2123
Franklin County Emergency Management Agency
618-439-4362
http://www.franklincountyil.gov/ema/contact
Hamilton Count Emergency Management Agency
618-643-3744
https://www.hamiltoncountyillinois.com/departments/emergency-management/
Outside of the storms we have had several things going on in the district this week. Here is a recap of what our office has been working on.
Williamson County Early Childhood Program
Last week I was told that the Williamson County Early Childhood Program is in danger of shutting down due to the budget impasse. In response I have contacted and been working with the Illinois Comptroller’s office requesting hardship payments to keep the program running into the next fiscal year.
The program services all five districts in Williamson County with Pre-K education that many families would otherwise not have access to. It is critical that we keep this program running for the children and families that rely on it.
Honor Flight Recognition
Many of you have heard about the Veterans Honor Flight that flew out of Marion in late April. It was a tremendous event and to recognize this special occasion, I introduced House Resolution 328 which recognizes April 25, 2017 as Veterans Honor Flight Day in the State of Illinois.
On Tuesday, I presented the Honor Flight board with a copy of the Resolution as well as certificates for all the veterans to acknowledge their selfless service to our country.
Open House
Thursday, my staff and I held an open house in our district office and we were very happy with the turnout! I had a great time meeting some new faces, showing off the office, and talking about what is going on in Springfield with constituents. Thank you to all of you who came out and I encourage those who could not make it to stop by and say hi.
The Marion office is staffed Monday through Friday, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. You can email me through the Contact Form on my website at www.repseverin.com. My staff and I are here to serve you! So please feel free to share your opinions with us.
Thompsonville sends 18 to RLC for College Signing Day
ReAnne Palmer – Rend Lake College Public Information
Pictured is, FRONT ROW, FROM LEFT, Jessica Palmer, Katie Ramsey, Maddie Miller, Mckenzie Nolen, and Samantha Walden; MIDDLE ROW, Kassidy Rizor, Katie Linsley, Kenzie Rizor, Maggie Householder, and Macie Jones; BACK ROW, Jared Emberton, Jared Payne, Cory Wilce, Alexis Williams, Noah Summers, Austin Kessler, Montanna Roberts, and Coleman Bundy.
(ReAnne Palmer / RLC Public Information)
Registration for Summer 2017 is going on now for all students with classes starting the week of June 5-9. Fall 2017 registration for sophomores began Monday, April 3 by appointment. For incoming students, Fall 2017 enrollment appointments began Monday, April 17. The Fall semester begins the week of August 14-18. To get an appointment, contact Academic Advising at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1266.
According to the U. S. Department of Education, college graduates typically earn more and are less likely to face unemployment than those with a high school diploma. Over the course of a lifetime, the average worker with a postsecondary degree will earn approximately $1 million more than a worker without a postsecondary education. In fact, by 2020, an estimated two-thirds of job openings will require postsecondary education or training.
RLC is a comprehensive community college located in Ina in Southern Illinois. Rend Lake College offers more than 100 associate degree and occupational certificate programs, preparing students for transfer to a four-year university or direct entry into the workforce. In addition, RLC offers personal interest classes, continuing education, business & industry training, computer workshops and much more. To learn more about RLC, visit www.rlc.edu/journey
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Competitive Gaming Coming to RLC
by Reece Rutland – Rend Lake College Public Informaton
Ultimate Gaming Championship’s $200,000 Gears of War Pro Circuit Atlantic City Open final.
INA, IL – With the explosion in popularity of competitive video gaming, Rend Lake College is excited to announce plans to host what everyone involved hopes is one of the largest e-sporting events Southern Illinois has ever seen in conjunction with Southern Illinois start-up Ultimate Gaming Championship (UGC).
UGC, fresh off their $200,000 Gears of War Pro Circuit Atlantic City Open, is excited to bring all the bells and whistles of the professional gaming scene to Ina to give local gamers the chance to compete like the pros for a day.
“UGC is very excited to bring competitive gaming to Rend Lake College. We are seeing more and more colleges nation-wide embrace competitive gaming. This is our chance to not only give those students a chance to compete, but also reach into a younger generation who has a lot of excitement and passion of e-sports,” UGC CEO Matt Jackson explained.
Slated for June 24th, the RLC E-Sports Open will feature $5,000 in total prizes with 2v2 tournaments in Halo 5 and Call of Duty Modern Warfare Remastered and head-to-head matchups for Super Smash Brothers Melee, Super Smash Wii U, Madden 17, NBA 2k17 and Hearthstone. Participants in Hearthstone are asked to bring their own mobile device and application of the game.
Taking place in the James E. “Hummer” Waugh Gymnasium the event will kick off at 10 a.m. Entry to the event is free with in-district student identification. Admission for other participants and observers is $10. Concessions and merchandise will be available on site.
With roots in Du Quoin, UGC is a premiere e-sports tournament organizer with experience on the Halo, Gears of War and Smash Bros. professional circuits.
For more information on the event, visit UGC’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/UGCevents/.
Senator Fowler: Week in review
SPRINGFIELD, IL – Senate lawmakers were at the State Capitol for four days, passing a number of legislative measures dealing with a multitude of law changes, according to State Sen. Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg).
Staff from the Governor’s Office continued to meet with Senate Republican and Democrat lawmakers and their appropriations staffs in the hopes of achieving a budget deal. Fowler said Senate Republican lawmakers continue to advocate for reductions in spending and reforms to reverse the culture of waste and lost economic growth opportunities.
Flood dominates the news
Even though Senator Fowler was at the Capitol nearly all week, he stayed in nearly “round-the-clock” contact with local mayors, village presidents, levee districts, and emergency service disaster agency professionals about heavy rains and the resulting localized flooding.
Several creeks and flooding along the Big Muddy River caused local residents to remain vigilant because of the April 27-30 storms, which left much of Southern Illinois with nearly 10 inches of rain. The localized flooding meant that smaller river tributaries quickly filled and flooded neighborhoods in Franklin County and Williamson County, which do not often deal with serious flooding conditions.
Senator Fowler took part in a series of conference calls with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency so as to keep lines of communication open in terms of the state response.
The states of emergency that were declared in Franklin County and Williamson County mark a potential first step to seeking higher levels of disaster relief for flood-ravaged units of government, businesses, and possibly individual properties. Sadly, the thresholds for federal government disaster assistance are quite high and the totality of the damage across the region could take another couple of weeks to assess, as rivers are to crest in the coming days.
Senator Fowler encouraged citizens to check local media resources and with their county-level ESDA to see if any flood assistance may be availabl
